Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP #35 - The Old Guard Is Changing: A Bombshell Deposition

Episode Date: March 9, 2022

A recently released deposition has revealed troubling accusations about a powerful judge who is at the helm of criminal and civil procedures in the Lowcountry.   If her involvement in the Gloria Satterfield case was as intentional as the depositions say, then the South Carolina justice system – where judges are pretty much untouchable – has a huge problem on its hands.  In this episode, Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell pick apart Chad Westendorf's deposition led by Eric Bland. Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ Please consider donating to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Justice For Stephen Go Fund Me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Premium Members ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠also get access to ad-free listening, searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lunasharkmedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ all in one place. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our LUNASHARK Merch 👕⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ What We're Buying... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4cJ0eVn ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Advertising is curated by the talented team at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AdLarge Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. *** ALERT: If you ever notice audio errors in the pod, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and we'll send fun merch to the first listener that finds something that needs to be adjusted! *** For current & accurate updates: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bsky.app/profile/mandy-matney.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bsky.app/profile/elizfarrell.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrueSunlight.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/mandy_matney⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/elizfarrell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@lunasharkmedia⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Alec Murdoch. I need police and an ambulance immediately. Murdoch, Death in the Family Official Podcast is here. I'm joining Patricia Arquette, Jason Clark, and the cast to uncover all things Murdoch. Family first. To unravel the story piece by piece was really surprising because you don't want to believe it. Murdoch, Death in the Family Official Podcast, Wednesdays. And stream Murdoch, Death in the Family on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.

Terms apply. I don't know how high up the corruption in this case goes, but a recently released deposition has revealed troubling accusations about a powerful judge who was at the helm of criminal and civil procedures in the low country. If her involvement in the Gloria Satterfield case was as intentional as depositions say, then the South Carolina justice system, where judges are pretty much untouchable has a huge problem on its hands. My name is Mandy Matney. I've been investigating the Murdoch family for more than three years now. This is the Murdoch Murdoch's podcast with David Moses and Liz Farrell. There are still so many unanswered questions about the glorious

Satterfield settlement, particularly considering that Ellic Murdoch right now is the only person who has face criminal charges in the scheme to steal millions of dollars from Gloria's family after she died following an alleged Trippinfoil accident on the Murdox hunting property in 2018. For a quick recap, there were several glaring issues with the court documents that Attorney Eric Bland discovered back in October when he was first trying to find answers as to why Gloria's sons never received a dime of the multi-million dollar wrongful death settlement for their mother's death. The court documents were full of red flags, which we will discuss later in this podcast. But Judge Carmen Mullen apparently signed these documents anyways, which paved a much

easier path for Ehrlich to steal millions of dollars from the Satterfield family who desperately needed the money. Some of the biggest questions in the Satterfield case revolve around Judge Carmen Mullen. If she signed off on a document with so much potential for fraud as a favor to a family, one of whom is now implicated in dozens of crimes, what else would she do? This is a woman who decides which people in South Carolina get their freedom taken away, and for how long. She decides if violent criminals should get bail or not. She has a tremendous amount of power, and if she is corrupt, then we have a huge problem on her hands, a problem that needs to be corrected immediately before further harm is done. When a

A judge is corrupt, it's not the powerful movers and shakers who suffer. It's society's most vulnerable. It's people like the Satterfields. Frankly, Mullen's alleged role in the Satterfield Settlement is one of the biggest reasons why this story matters. Why this story isn't a typical true crime story, why so many of us, on the right side of this, have dedicated years of our lives to this case. Because the tentacles in this case stretch far and wide, up to the most powerful, untouchable people in South Carolina. Circuit judges.

The thing is that South Carolina's archaic system for electing these judges feeds the beast of corruption and keeps them safe from the consequences of their own actions. Attorney Eric Bland knows this, which is why he never stopped on his quest to find answers. I got a lot of pressure from a lot of different places to withdraw her notes. And I did. And, you know, I got answers. Never really got the full answers because I never had anybody under oath. But I did not expect Chad to say what he said about Judge Mullin. And my head was spinning.

In late February, Eric Bland deposed Chad Westendorf, the Palmetto State Bank vice president, who for some reason was appointed as the president. personal representative for Gloria Satterfield's estate. Westendorf was paid $30,000 for his role. He was supposed to represent the best interests of the family, which he obviously failed at. Unlike his boss, Russell Lefeet, who is the CEO of Palmetto State Bank, West Endorf does not appear to be facing many consequences for his questionable role in the Satterfield heist. He still works at the bank and appears to be cooperating with attorneys and both federal and state investigators. In his deposition with Eric, he said he has all.

already testified for the state grand jury. When the Satterfield heist was exposed in the media last fall, Westendorf mailed Eric Bland a check for $30,000, obviously, to pay the Satterfields back, and he was immediately dismissed from their lawsuit. Months later, Westendorf agreed to be deposed by Eric Bland, Ronnie Richter, and Scott Mangillo, and sat for a film deposition on February 22nd. He did not plead the fifth one time during the three-hour deposition. A quick note about this deposition. A few of our sources have questioned the motive behind it. Like we said, Westendorf was no longer part of the case. Neither was Corey and Ehrlich is confessing judgment. The only defendant left is Eddie Smith, who had nothing to do with the execution of the settlement.

In other reports about the deposition, Westendorf's attorney explained his participation as a way to clear his name, which makes sense. There's something we need to keep in the back of our minds, though. How much involvement did Elek Murdoch's team have in making this deposition? happen. How much of this is part of a long game in getting Elix case moved to federal court? The deposition is very damaging to Judge Carmen Mullen. But without it, we most certainly would not have known about her alleged role in this, and it's important that it's out there. Even if it's part of a plan for Elix team to argue their way into a better plea deal at a nicer prison than the ones we have here. I really think, one, he wanted to clean his soul, and two, he wants to make sure

make sure that he's telling his story consistently and publicly. You know, was he lying? I can't say that somebody doesn't lie, but I will tell you this. As far as the opponents go, I found him to be incredibly credible. This is our first look at a firsthand account into the Satterfield Heist. And before we get into it, it's important to note that West Endorse's testimony in this deposition and to the state grand jury is sworn. He risks state and state and and federal imprisonment if it's determined that he lied during any part of the investigation. And then, you know, he's got that hammer over his head. Because he already testified in front of a grand jury and he's given written statements

and verbal interviews to federal and state officials, if he was the lie in my deposition, which is under oath, he gets nailed for a 1001 lying to federal officials and a perjury trap, which is what, you know, and snarled Martha Stewart. So I kind of figured that once he said, I'm not taking the fifth. The first question the deposition answers for us is what prompted Murdoch to seek help from Chad Westendorf in the first place. Do you remember the date that you were approached by Alec to become PR? I want to say it was November the 21st.

I know it was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. because I was in the mountains with my family and he called me he called you on the phone yes sir and he had your number yes sir did he have your number because you guys were friends or because you were a banker I would say it would be more friends because I did bank him okay so how did you know him grew up around him and just been in the town would you call him a friend I yeah did you socialize with him no okay I mean, and does your wife have any relationship to him at all? No. Okay.

In deposition, Eric Bland referred to Westendorf as well regarded in the Hampton community. He's not only the vice president of Palmetto State Bank, he's also the president of independent banks of South Carolina. Throughout Eric's questioning, Chad Westendorf maintained that he was totally ignorant when it came to his role in the scheme. He presented himself like an airhead. incapable of basic logic, which is interesting given his powerful position at the bank. Okay. What was your job? SPR, tell me what you were supposed to do?

I don't know. Were you supposed to be just in name only, or did you have actual affirmative duties? You don't know? I don't know. I was, I mean, my first meeting with Corey, I asked what I needed to do as personal representative. Did I need to? Oh, and what did you tell you? He said nothing at this moment, I'll take care of it. And I asked specifically about opening an account. Did I need to open an account? Did it need to have an estate account?

And he said, not at this time. So when you accepted to become PR and before you actually got approved, there was a gap in time. You didn't educate yourself on what the claims were? When I accepted initially, I was. I wasn't aware of what the case was. And after I accepted, then I was told what the case was. But from that point forward, no. Little taken back that you would accept becoming a PR for a claim

and not really understand what the claim would be. Did you find it strange that Alec was the one that was asking you to be the PR when he was the, quote, target defendant? There hadn't been litigation started. So there was a claim. You understand the difference between a claim and litigation? No. Okay.

At one point, Bland asked Wessendorf if he understood what the word fiduciary meant. Did you understand that as a personal representative that you were a fiduciary? Do you understand the term fiduciary? I did not. Okay. Do you understand it now? Not really. Okay. That you owe duties not only to the estate, who you were a personal representative for, right?

Yes, sir. But did you realize that you are an officer of the court? Did you realize that? I did not. Okay. I guess we now know why Chad was chosen by Ehrlich, who, as you'll remember from our jailhouse calls episode, is likewise challenged by occupational vocabulary. Just to put it on the record, a fiduciary is a person who holds a legal or ethical relationship

of trust with one or more parties, typically as it relates to the care of money or assets. When we talk about how the Murdox have held power over this part of South Carolina for more than 100 years, we're not just talking about them or their actions. Thousands of people had to help them get to where they were at the time of the boat crash and the murders. And those people aren't necessarily evil. They're just trained. In Hampton County especially, life is easier and more manageable if you don't question

a Murdoch. Chad Westendorf was a good soldier for Murdoch. He didn't ask any questions and he didn't exercise a single bit of intellect. curiosity. He simply got asked to do something and he did it. We'll be right back. What was odd is that while Wessendorf appeared to have zero concerns about his duties to the Satterfields in his role as PR, he apparently had the wits about him to worry about his own financial liability in the case. Did you ever have any concerns about the duties, what your duties were or what you were supposed to be doing or you were more reactive and Corey Fleming would ask you or tell you to do

something. Prior to accepting I had some concerns about what what liability I would have for from creditors. That was my main question I asked if there was any person's fact on me. Who you asked that of? Alec and would it Alec tell you? He said they wouldn't there wasn't any problem. Did you wonder whether you had to have like a bond or an insurance? I did not. Okay. And so your main concern was what liability you may have to the creditors? Sure. And who were the creditors? Do you remember? I don't know. Also worth noting, Westendorf didn't appear to know much at all about Gloria's 2018 death. Did you ever find out who Gloria was when you became her PR? Did you know

that she was the housekeeper? Yes. Did you know that she had? had died? Yes. Did you know she had died at the Mazzle property? Yes. Who told you all that? Alec did. Okay. Did he tell you, what did he tell you about her death? That she had a fall with his dog. His dog, dog, or dogs? Okay. And that she hit her head and then, and spent some time in the hospital and then she passed away from the injuries. So there are several inconsistencies about Gloria Satterfield's death that are still a mystery. Like why did Elyx insurance companies pay millions of dollars for wrongful death when Gloria's death certificate incorrectly stated that she died of natural causes? And why was Gloria's family told that she fell at the Murdox-Hampton County home

when she fell at Moselle in Colleton County? And how were they able to pull off a multi-million dollar settlement so quickly with no litigation. We asked Eric about this. In most other counties, I agree that she had $600,000 in medical bills. But in most other counties, if you got $1.8 million or $2 million, you would really have hung the moon. At $4.3 million, tip of my hat, Corey Fleming. I will tell you this, every single thing that lawyer.

did in this case was wrong. Every single thing except somehow he convinced the insurance companies to pay $4.3 million. That's the one right thing he did. Westendorf said that he spoke with both Ehrlich and Corey Fleming, who were both on opposing sides of the settlement as he was becoming the personal representative of the estate. However, he apparently didn't think that was weird. Did that strike you as curious that the tariff? The target defendant was having discussions with you instead of the plaintiff. Not really. All right.

Why didn't that, why didn't you find that strange? Did you think that everybody had a unity of interest? No, but I thought he was helping the kids out. That's what he claimed to be doing. He was helping the boys. Doing what? How to help? Getting them fund money.

To do what? Because they lost their mother. So the question we have had in reading this deposition is, is this. Were there two crimes? One, a case of noble corruption and the other plain old theft? Did Corey and Chad think they were doing unorthodox things in the name of doing something kind? Why would, quote, helping the boys require so much willful ignorance and subverting the normal course of civil procedure? Or is it just another example of Alex's good old boy mentality, where it's okay to do things unethical and illegal in the name of helping out a friend?

During deposition, Westendorf admitted that he never once spoke to either of the Satterfield boys. Several times, he said that Corey told him that he was handling everything. And altogether, Westendorf collected a $30,000 fee for very little work. He said he signed a couple documents, appeared before a judge twice, and participated in a couple phone calls. $30,000 is a lot of money in a place like Hampton County, South Carolina. where the median household income is $33,000 a year. And according to South Carolina law, a personal representative can only take up to 5% of a person's estate. Glorious Satterfield's estate was only $50,000, which means Westendorf should have been paid no more than $2,500 for his work as PR.

Mullen should have caught this, among several other glaring red flags. Which brings us to Judge Carmen Mullen and the biggest bombshells revealed in this deposition. Westendorf's testimony shows just how unorthodox this wrongful death settlement was and how many red flags there were to alert Carmen Mullen to the fact that something bad was happening right in front of her eyes. As a reminder, this settlement was never litigated. The reason why we point this out is because the case didn't require. required the level of work required in a lawsuit. The settlement came after a few letters, phone calls, and a mediation hearing. There were four sheets of paper produced in this case. Now, a $4.3 million settlement is great, but very high given the facts of the case and how very

little work was required of Corey Fleming. According to Westendorf's testimony, Mullen knew that the caption had been removed from the case. The caption is the part of the case that contains the names of the parties. Wessendorf indicates that Mullen was aware that Ehrlich's name was removed from the caption, which for all other lawyers in this state would require a judge's order. In Wessendorf's testimony, it is clear that Mullen never scrutinized the documents presented to her, nor did she verify with Wessendorf that he was aware. of the circumstances of the agreement and okay with the settlement.

In another red flag that was there to alert Mullen to wrongdoing is one that we haven't even discussed before. Ehrlich's attorneys who represented the insurance company weren't even present for the hearing. If what Westendorf says is true, that means that an entire human being wasn't there, and Mullen seems to have overlooked that. 100% of the time. There isn't a defense attorney that you would talk to that would let the plaintiff's attorney go meet with the judge to get approval on a settlement. More importantly, I did find out that John Grantland, who was Alex's attorney appointed by Nautilus Insurance Company, was en route. And they went forward with the hearing while he was en route.

Judge Carmen Mullen should have never okayed the settlement, given the information on the papers that were, right in front of her. It's been questioned whether or not her signature was forged or if she had been duped by Ehrlich and Corey. But in deposition, Wessendorf dropped a bombshell that should absolutely ring alarm bells of everyone concerned about the South Carolina justice system. According to Westendorf, Corey Fleming, the plaintiff, asked Judge Mullen to sign off on the settlement while keeping Elyke's name, who is the defendant off the books? Mullen should have never signed the documents to begin with, but if Corey Fleming really did ask her to keep the settlement that was already sketchy off of the public record, Mullen should have absolutely

used her power to stop this massive thievery right there and then. This was in 2019. If Mullen was really doing her job, Mullen would have not only said no to signing the documents, but she would have reported Corey and Ehrlich for inappropriate and seemingly unethical behavior. Ever hear that discussion that the reason Alex's name was being taken off that caption was he didn't want Mark Tensley, who was suing him, suing his son for the Mallory Beach boating accident. He didn't want anybody to find out of public record that this kind of money was being paid from his homeowners insurance carrier. The only time I heard that was in chambers. In chambers. At the second settlement

conference. Yes. Yes. And Alec wasn't even there. He wasn't there. Okay. And that was said to Judge Mullin. From Corey. Yes, sir. And Judge Mullen says, I understand. I understand. And Judge Mullen, did you know, had recused herself a month before from the BUI lawsuit? BUI meaning boating under the influence. I'm going to show you an order that a month before you had your hearing, she recused herself from hearing anything having to do with Alex Murdoch and Mallory Beach's death. I did not. Did she discuss that to you?

Did she say to you, Mr. Westendorf, you're the PR for this estate, and I need to disclose to you that I have recused myself one month before from having to do anything with Alex Murdoch and the Mallory Beach dead. I'm sorry. Okay. Eric had something to say about this when we spoke after the deposition. So, you know, the last thing on anybody's mind was that somebody would lie to Judge Mullen. And that's appeared what happened until Chad started talking.

And so when Chad started talking, I started to ask him, well, what inquiry did did Judge Mullen make when Corey presented the request to approve the settlement of $3.8 million? He said, I don't recall anything. I said, well, did she ask you, as the personal representative, are you satisfied with this settlement? Are you satisfied that your attorneys have tried to recover as much money as possible? He said, no. I said, did she ask you whether you were being pressured to agree to this? settlement. He said, no. I said, did she say to you, do you think that there should be a higher value of pain for the death of Gloria Satterfield? He said, no. And so I said, well, what happened in the hearing? He said, well, it's more quick, you know, she didn't really ask the right questions to approve that settlement. These are rules that are designed to protect the clients first, but also protect the lawyers. They're protected. They have a

court order, they can disperse. None of the rules were followed here. None. The rules are written that we trust everybody except the devil inside of everybody. If everybody follows the rules, you could be the devil, but you aren't going to be able to steal. According to Westendorf, Molin readily and openly agreed to keep the settlement from being filed with the court because of publicity from the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. And we'll be right back. Why would a legitimate claim in a legitimate trip and fall accident that happened under legitimate circumstances be something to hide from the public? Why would a legitimate settlement to compensate the loved ones of a deceased person be something to hide? Also, Paul had already been charged at this point.

So basically, Mullen was agreeing to help keep secrets for someone who was accused of felonies related to a fatality that came as a result of his reckless and illegal behavior. Even if everything else had checked out about the settlement, Carmen Mullen apparently agreed to do something that would help Paul's family over Mallory's family. There was only one reason to have kept this from the public eye, and that was because they were doing something wrong. Around the same time, Mullen signed the secret agreement, she also recused herself from the boat crash case due to our relationship with the Murdoch family. So in April, Mullen is telling the public, I'm an honorable judge who recognizes that my decisions could be seen as impartial when it comes to this family. But in May, basically she's saying to the Murdoch,

Shh, close the door, hand me that pen. So I'm showing you exhibit number 20. This is where Judge Mullen on April, I think it was 4th. Yeah, April 4th, or April 10, excuse me. She recused herself. Judge Mullen has recused herself from hearing all matters related to this case and forwarded the Justice for reassignment. And so this is the Mallory Beach case versus Gregory Parker and ETAL means that there's other dependents. And you were unaware of that when you went into that hearing. So when you went into the hearing on April 13th, it was just you, Corey.

May 13th. You and Corey? Yes, sir. And Judge Mullen. and Judge Mullen. And again, that was not on court record and it was not in a courtroom. No, sir. It was in a room off there. Room off there. Okay. And did it strike you funny when Judge Mullen said we're going to change the caption to take Alex's name off? I didn't know that happened until you just told me.

Well, you said there was a discussion in front of... Not about taking the caption off. The only discussion we had was he claimed or he told Judge Mullen that, he would that Ehrlich's attorneys would appreciate or would not want her to file the order at this time. I didn't know anything about a caption. Okay. They asked her, they did they say the reason because of the the recent boating accident? The recent voting accident. The recent and he was being sued. I didn't know about being sued but she just said the publicity over the recent boating accident. And that's why she said I'm going to sign the order, but don't file it? Yes, it wasn't filed.

Okay. She said don't file it. Corey asked if it couldn't. I'm going to file this later. I don't remember the judge saying don't file it, but Corey said we want to file this later. Well, we're not going to. I don't know how it all works. Okay. It was never filed. Okay. So she told, he told her, we're not going to file it because of the publicity over the boating accident. And she said, okay.

Yes. Okay. And then signed the order. She signed something. I cannot say that was the exact thing she signed. I was in there when she agreed to it. Okay. The documents with Judge Mullen's signature were never filed with the court, a huge violation of protocol in place for a reason to prevent corruption and fraud. After Chad Westendor's deposition, Eric Bland told us that he knew he had to immediately send the transcript to the South Carolina Bar because of what was said about both Carmen Mullen and Corey Fleming.

Look, here is a test. that was provided under oath by Chad Wessendorf, which implicates the propriety of the actions of Judge Mullen. Now, I'm not the arbiter of that. I'm not the one that decides whether she did right or wrong, but I'm duty-bound to turn this over to the ODC, the Office of Disciplinary Council, when lawyers violate the rules of professional conduct. we are duty-bound. If we have knowledge, it's not for me to decide whether they violate the rules or not, but if I'm on notice that something is violative of the rules, I turn it over to ODC. Eric Bland reported Mullen's role in the Satterfield Heist to the South Carolina Supreme Court's Commission on Judicial Conduct.

And Eric is not the only one who reported Mullen to the ODC. solicitor David Pasco of the First Judicial Circuit, who was considering a run for the South Carolina Attorney General's office, also filed a complaint. David Pascoe, who has his own separate history with Judge Mullen, found out about it because I did talk about it with Jim Griffin. I talked about it to the receiver, and I talked about it to Mark Tensley, who certainly was mentioned as a reason for not having the order sign. And so somehow it got back to David Pascoe, who called me on the phone, by the way. Pascoe, who has a history of fighting public corruption in South Carolina, had previously filed a complaint against Mullen, accusing her of improper solicitation of ex parte communications, recording phone calls between parties without obtaining consent, undisclosed conflicts of interest,

lack of professional competence, and staff members posting critical comments about pending judicial matters. on social media. He called the current accusations an unremitting power of improper activity that merits close examination by the commission. And after he read that transcript, he filed a grievance against Judge Mullen, where he said she certainly violated the integrity of the justice system by agreeing to change a caption and keep an order from being filed that was signed, in order to protect Alex Murdoch in a case that she had already refused herself in. You know, the recusal in the Mallory Beach case didn't say that she could never hear a case involving Alex Murdoch. It just said, I'm not going to hear anything in the Mallory Peach case.

Judge Buckner signed that as well, the same order. But what she did appear to have done if you believe Chad Westendorf is in an unrelated case. She was willing to do something to benefit a part. in a case that she recused herself. So that was the first case, this first grievance. The second basis was just a basic matter of competency, that she is not competent. No judge should sit as a circuit court judge

if they're going to entertain a settlement conference without a pending motion, a proper caption, and then agree to sign an order and not have it filed. Just those three basic things go to her competency to be a judge. So that's what he did. He filed it. What's the product of this? What's going to happen? Well, I don't know. I would think, based on what's happening, there will be some investigation, whether it's by OBC or the judicial committee, because of journalists like you two are not going to let this go. They're going to want an answer from somebody was this addressed. So the question's then going to become, what does Judge Mullen say? Does she say, yep, that's exactly how it happened. That way Mr. Westendorf said.

Or is she going to say, no, that's not how it happened. That's not how it happened at all. She could say, I told Corey to go file this order after I signed it. The wild card here, the wild card is Corey Fleming. We will be talking more about Corey and what he did wrong in a future episode, and we plan to take a deeper look at some of the information that Chad revealed about Corey in the deposition. In South Carolina, judges are appointed by lawmakers. and not the general public. Because of this, judges must lobby and campaign for themselves at the

statehouse. Many people have compared this process to rushing a fraternity. What this means, though, is that politically connected lawyers basically get a choose and then control who our judges are in this state. So Eric Bland was not just going up against a judge, but an entire system when he reported Mullen to the ODC. We asked Eric, as an attorney, whose livelihood literally depends on judges whether he was worried about backlash. Nope. I'm in the fourth quarter of my career. Had I been in the first quarter of my career, it definitely would be scared. But not now. This is such a bellwether case, so important on so many different levels about the justice system, whether there's two systems of

justice? Does the ordinary person have the same system as those that are wealthier, those that have relationships with judges or important lawyers? So many things have to be answered here, so many things have to be changed here. So at this point, the answer is no, I don't have fear. Look, are judges going to look at me differently when I walk into their courtroom? Sure, sure. They're going to be on their peace and cues. Hey, can't joke the front air plan. Are they going to let me come back in their chambers. Some will, some won't. Is everything going to be on the record?

Sure. Will it hurt my client on issues of discretion for a judge to make a ruling? It could. It could. But this to me was so important. I take my oath. You know, our profession has been so bruised. Way before this Murdoch case has been bruised.

But of every joke. I hate lawyer jokes. tell them and I won't tolerate them if somebody wants to tell them in my in my press but this is Murdof case and and all the different machinations that have happened here you know our profession is really taking a punch a hard punch you know if lawyers like Martinsley lawyers like John Lay lawyers like my partner and me Justin Bamberg if we stand up in solidarity and don't tolerate this thing. Maybe, maybe we'll change. And by the way, the old guard judiciary is changing.

We will talk more about the problem with judges in South Carolina in a later episode. Not that we want to give you guys homework, but we highly recommend that you read a 2019 project by ProPublica in coordination with the Charleston Post and Courier called South Carolina, the state where judges rule themselves in secret. It's pretty appalling and absolutely absurd to think we're all okay with this. In this state since 1997, when the Commission on Judicial Conduct was created, there have been more than a thousand ethics complaints filed against judges. Out of those thousand complaints, here's how many judges were punished. Zero. That means a thousand people out there were wrong? Not likely. The Murdoch Murder's podcast is created by me,

Mandy Matney and my fiance, David Moses. Our executive editor is Liz Farrell. Produced by Luna Shark Productions.